Department for Transport

Travel: Quarantine

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on negotiations to extend the quarantine-free covid-19 travel rules for double-vaccinated travellers from Amber list countries to include people who have received their full WHO-recognised vaccinations in a country other than the UK.

Robert Courts: We are working closely with international partners on reopening travel and will provide an update in due course on how to safely reopen travel for fully vaccinated people from overseas.

Driving Licences

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to stop the most common driving licence renewal internet searches returning advertisements for third-party scam websites charging £50 to £100 to  check and renew licences.

Rachel Maclean: The paid placement of third party sites in search engine listings continues to be an issue which Government is trying to address with the search engine providers. Currently third party sites are legitimately allowed to provide an alternative service for customers. Some of these sites charge additional fees for checking and forwarding the applications. The services that are paid for via these sites can be obtained cheaper and, in many cases, free of charge on GOV.UK. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) frequently reminds the public through awareness articles, postings on social media sites and a variety of media outlets to use the official channel for all DVLA services. Both digital and paper reminders and renewal forms are annotated with reminders to use GOV.UK as the only official place to find DVLA services and information. Where a third party site is identified as operating outside of the guidelines the DVLA will work with the relevant authorities to seek compliance. Failure to comply may lead to the site being removed.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Holiday Leave

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what rights furloughed workers have to the accrual of holiday pay.

Paul Scully: Employment rights remain unchanged under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). Therefore, all workers’ right to holiday accrues to the extent and in the same way it did prior to being placed on to furlough under the CJRS, as provided by the individual’s statutory and contractual rights. If a furloughed worker takes holiday, the employer should pay them their full holiday pay, calculated in accordance with BEIS guidance. Employers will be obliged to fund any additional amounts over the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grant. Further guidance to help employers manage holiday pay during Coronavirus is available on GOV.UK.

Agency Workers: Coronavirus

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether periods when schools are closed to all but vulnerable pupils and children of key workers during the covid-19 outbreak are counted as pauses under the Agency Workers Regulation.

Paul Scully: An agency worker can qualify for equal treatment after working for 12 weeks in the same role with the same hirer. The working patterns of agency workers can be irregular. The regulations set out the effect of different types of absence or breaks on the 12-week qualifying period and provide for several circumstances in which breaks do not prevent agency workers from completing the qualifying period or cause the qualifying clock to pause. The qualifying clock will pause if there is a break in service for any reason, where the break is no longer than six calendar weeks and the agency worker returns to the same role with the same hirer.

Courier Services: Conditions of Employment

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will take steps to improve the workplace treatment of app-based courier drivers.

Paul Scully: The UK has one of the best employment rights records in the world. We have made good progress in bringing forward measures that add flexibility for workers while ensuring the protection of employment rights, such as banning the use of exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts. An individual’s entitlement to rights at work is determined by their employment status, employee, worker or self-employed. App-based courier service workers can be classed under any of these depending on their employment relationship. Employees are entitled to all rights including unfair dismissal (subject to qualifying periods) and have responsibilities towards their employer. So-called “limb (b) workers” are only entitled to some rights such as the National Minimum Wage but have increased flexibility and fewer obligations to their employer. The self-employed generally have no employment rights but have complete flexibility in their work. We understand the importance of clarity around employment status and to ensure that individuals and businesses in the gig economy are aware of their rights and responsibilities. The Government is currently considering options to improve clarity around employment status, and we are working with stakeholders and cross-Government on how best to address it in a post-Covid scenario. The Health and Safety Executive recently updated its guidance to cover gig economy, agency and temporary workers, which can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/vulnerable-workers/gig-agency-temporary-workers/index.htm.For health and safety purposes, gig economy workers should be treated no differently to other workers.

Courier Services: Dismissal

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of app-based courier services dismissing their couriers as a result of (a) technical issues, (b) traffic delays and (c) app malfunctions.

Paul Scully: The UK has one of the best employment rights records in the world. We have made good progress in bringing forward measures that add flexibility for workers while ensuring the protection of employment rights, such as banning the use of exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts.An individual’s entitlement to rights at work is determined by their employment status, employee, worker or self-employed. App-based courier service workers can be classed under any of these depending on their employment relationship. Employees are entitled to all rights including being protected against unfair dismissal (subject to qualifying periods) and have responsibilities towards their employer.An employer needs to have a valid reason and take appropriate steps if they are to dismiss an employee. Employees who consider that their dismissal was unfair can complain to an employment tribunal, generally subject to a qualifying period of continuous service. While this does not go into details, the Government publishes quarterly tribunal statistics, including on unfair dismissal claims.

Sharing Economy: Conditions of Employment

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the workplace treatment of (a) app-based courier drivers and (b) other gig economy workers.

Paul Scully: The UK has one of the best employment rights records in the world. We have made good progress in bringing forward measures that add flexibility for workers while ensuring the protection of employment rights, such as banning the use of exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts. An individual’s entitlement to rights at work is determined by their employment status, employee, worker or self-employed. App-based courier service workers can be classed under any of these depending on their employment relationship. Employees are entitled to all rights including unfair dismissal (subject to qualifying periods) and have responsibilities towards their employer. So-called “limb (b) workers” are only entitled to some rights such as the National Minimum Wage but have increased flexibility and fewer obligations to their employer. The self-employed generally have no employment rights but have complete flexibility in their work. We understand the importance of clarity around employment status and to ensure that individuals and businesses in the gig economy are aware of their rights and responsibilities. The Government is currently considering options to improve clarity around employment status, and we are working with stakeholders and cross-Government on how best to address it in a post-Covid scenario. The Health and Safety Executive recently updated its guidance to cover gig economy, agency and temporary workers, which can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/vulnerable-workers/gig-agency-temporary-workers/index.htm.For health and safety purposes, gig economy workers should be treated no differently to other workers.

Infrastructure: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Green Alliance's report entitled Getting the building blocks right Infrastructure priorities for a green recovery, published on 11 November 2020, whether the Government has made an assessment of whether there is an investment gap as cited in that report in helping the Government to reach its net-zero target; and if he will make a statement.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Delivering net zero requires the deep decarbonisation of all sectors – with the CCC estimating that low carbon investment should reach £50 billion a year by 2050. Financial services will be a critical enabler of green investment at the pace and scale required – and that is why green finance is a key priority for this Government. Our approach has seen the UK power sector attract over £93 billion of green investment since 2010.Spanning clean energy, buildings, transport, nature and innovative technologies, the 10 Point Plan has committed £12 billion of government investment and will unlock three times as much from the private sector by 2030. The Government has also recently launched a new infrastructure bank for the UK which will co-invest alongside private sector investors and accelerate our ambitions for tackling climate change and levelling up. The UK Infrastructure Bank will have an initial £12 billion of capital to deploy and will be able to issue £10 billion of government guarantees, helping to unlock more than £40 billion of overall investment. This year the Government will also issue its first Sovereign Green Bond - subject to market conditions – helping to finance projects that will tackle climate change.

Solar Power

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of solar farms in the UK.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government publishes figures on all solar photovoltaic capacity in the United Kingdom, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-photovoltaics-deployment. The figures show that there are currently 1,340 operational ground mount and stand-alone solar projects.[1] [1] This comprises ground mount and stand- alone solar PV projects supported under the Renewables Obligation, Feed in Tariff and Contract for Difference schemes.

Electric Vehicles: Wolverhampton

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps are being taken to improve the availability of electric vehicle charge points in Wolverhampton.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government’s On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) is available to all UK local authorities to provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to private parking. In 2021/22, £20 million is available under the scheme to ensure more local authorities and residents can benefit. Amendments have been made to the ORCS to encourage ambitious local authority projects, and improve access to the funding for local authorities in areas of limited electrical capacity. Local authorities in England can also take advantage of Energy Saving Trust’s Local Government Support Programme, fully funded by the Department for Transport, which offers support to help authorities develop and deliver EV strategies, and programmes to increase adoption of ultra-low emission vehicles. This includes support with the roll out of charging infrastructure through applying for ORCS funding. In addition, Government is investing almost £40 million in projects to support innovation in wireless and on-street charging technology to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the feasibility that UK reaches net zero emissions sooner than 2050.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK was the first major economy to legislate for a net zero target. This target was set in line with advice from our independent expert advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), that 2050 was the earliest feasible date for achieving this. The CCC made clear in their advice on the 6th Carbon Budget, published in December 2020, that net zero in 2050 remains the right target for the UK.

University of Bristol: Contracts

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to take into account the conduct of Professor David Miller in the future letting of contracts to Bristol University.

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of Professor David Miller's research at Bristol University on that university's ratings under the Research Excellence Framework.

Amanda Solloway: The Research Excellence Framework (REF) assesses the quality of research from the submissions of UK higher education institutions, not individuals. The primary outcome of the REF is an overall quality profile for each submission, which will show the proportions of research activity judged to meet each of four starred quality levels. Alongside the quality profile, the funding bodies will publish the output, impact and environment sub-profiles that were combined to produce the overall quality profile for each submission. The HE funding bodies do not publish the scores for individual outputs or impact case studies. REF results inform future Quality-related (QR) research funding allocations from HE funding bodies, which are, also awarded at institutional level by the HE funding bodies, and not to individual researchers.HE providers are independent and autonomous organisations, responsible for the management of their own affairs and for meeting their duties under the law, including those relating to freedom of expression and equalities. All HE providers should discharge their responsibilities fully and have robust policies and procedures in place to comply with the law, to investigate and swiftly address hate crime, including any antisemitic incidents that are reported.Grant funding provided by HE Funding bodies, UK Research & Innovation and Office for Students is all subject to terms and conditions of funding set by the funder with which providers must comply. If a provider does not meet these, funding can be withdrawn or reclaimed by the relevant funder. For research grant funding this includes expectations concerning academic rigour, research integrity, open research, etc.

Department of Health and Social Care

Cancer: Waiting Lists

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service, Early: Cancer Diagnosis Guidance, published on 31 March 2021, what plans the Government has to produce a long-term strategy to tackle the estimated 37,000 people who had not started their first cancer treatment.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England in partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement, is running a campaign, ‘Help us help you’, to raise awareness of general symptoms of cancer and encourage people experiencing persistent symptoms to contact their general practitioner. Cancer referrals were over 10,500 referrals per day in April, and 11,000 per day in May.Local systems, drawing on advice and analysis from their Cancer Alliance, will ensure that there is sufficient diagnostic and treatment capacity in place to meet the needs of cancer to meet the increased level of referrals and treatment required to address the shortfall in number of first treatments by March 2022. NHS England and NHS Improvement are prioritising delivery of NHS Long Term Plan commitments that also support recovery such as increasing diagnostic capacity and early diagnosis and survival rates through rapid diagnostic centres (RDC). As of June 2021, there were 88 active RDC pathways across hospitals in England, compared to 12 in March 2020.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to ensure that where a person is clinically vulnerable they are able to interact safely in public after the lifting of covid-19 restrictions on 19 July 2021.

Jo Churchill: Guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable individuals from 19 July was published on 12 July, outlining support that all clinically extremely vulnerable people can access, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19If a clinically extremely vulnerable individual has any concerns about their physical or mental wellbeing they should access the National Health Service website or contact their general practitioner practice or specialist who can provide them with nuanced and personalised support and advice on any additional precautions they should take.

Diabetes: Health Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer pf 13 July 2021 to Question 28361 on Diabetes: Health Services, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the public health provision of diabetes (a) treatment, (b) support, (c) care and (d) prevention services.

Jo Churchill: The NHS Long Term Plan set out a number of key ambitions, to improve care and outcomes for those individuals with diabetes. To support patients to potentially achieve remission from their type 2 diabetes while improving management and control, NHS England and NHS Improvement are piloting at scale, low-calorie diets. To improve care, NHS England and NHS Improvement have invested approximately £120 million of Transformation Funding into local services to target variation and improve performance in the treatment and care of people living with type 1 and 2 diabetes since 2017/18. This investment, overseen by local systems, covers the four treatment and care priorities, including: footcare teams; inpatient nursing teams; treatment target attainment; and, supported self-management.   NHS England and NHS Improvement’s diabetes prevention programme identifies those most at risk of developing diabetes and refers them onto a behaviour change programme. Individuals receive tailored, personalised help to reduce their risk of developing stage 2 diabetes. Following a successful two-year pilot programme that saw a significant increase in the adoption of flash glucose technology across all clinical commissioning groups, over 35% of patients living with type 1 diabetes are now benefitting from flash glucose monitoring. Our focus on obesity and investment in weight management services also aims to prevent diabetes.

Cancer: Nurses

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on providing a fully-costed and comprehensive multi-year funding settlement to ensure the adequacy of the size of the Cancer Nurse Specialist workforce to deliver the targets in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Jo Churchill: Discussions with HM Treasury on any multi-year settlement will take place within the Spending Review process. There are specialist training grants for 250 nurses to become cancer nurse specialists.

Mental Health Services: Care Leavers

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) steps his Department is taking to support local authorities in signposting care leavers to appropriate mental health support and (b) assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing signposting.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are currently working with local authorities and National Health Service trusts to develop and modernise arrangements for care leavers including signposting to appropriate mental health provisions.In March 2021, we published the Mental Health Recovery Action Plan to ensure approximately 22,500 more children and young people can access community health services.

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of the role of single-use technology in (a) controlling and preventing infections and (b) reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections following the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Throughout the pandemic NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a variety of guidance which encompasses the robust sterilisation and decontamination of reusable medical equipment and use of single-use equipment. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/infection-controlThe purchase and use of single-use equipment is determined at individual National Health Service trust level to take into account their own facilities, workforce, finances and patient population when choosing the most appropriate medical equipment to use.

Veterans: Disability

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending free prescriptions to veterans other than holders of a Valid War Pension Exemption Certificate in cases where the prescription is for an accepted disability.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect of the cost of prescriptions on veterans' mental health outcomes.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Exemptions from National Health Service prescriptions charges for veterans have been extended beyond valid war pension exemption certificate holders to Armed Forces Compensation Scheme recipients. If the prescription is not for their accepted disablement there would be a charge if they were under 60 years old, unless there was another exemption in place. No assessment has been made of the effect of the cost of prescriptions on veterans’ mental health.

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that there is sufficient psychological support within non-specialised clinical settings for young people experiencing severe eating disorders unable to access a Tier 4 bed.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are enhancing capacity in community eating disorder services to improve urgent response and the delivery of intensive home treatment. Community eating disorder teams for children and young people are resourced to support early identification and access to treatment as soon as an eating disorder is suspected. These teams are working with schools, colleges and primary care to support improved awareness and access to expert advice and treatment.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 7785 tabled on  26 May 2021 by the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the US Food and Drug Administration warning, issued on 10 June 2021, for the public to stop using the Innova test; if he will (a) specify how much money has been spent on Innova lateral flow tests to date and (b) estimate how much more will be spent on those tests under current contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 June to Question 7785.Lateral flow tests used by the United Kingdom, including Innova, receive a rigorous laboratory-based evaluation by a joint Public Health England and University of Oxford team. We are confident that these tests are safe and effective. We are unable to provide the information requested relating to costs as it is commercially sensitive.

Malta: Travel Restrictions

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of UK nationals who may be affected by the Government of Malta’s decision to deny entry to UK travellers who have had one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India in each month that that decision takes effect.

Nadhim Zahawi: No specific estimate has been made.However, following discussions with officials the Maltese Government confirmed on 15 July that all COVID-19 vaccines approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency would be accepted and United Kingdom travel advice was updated.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the health and wellbeing needs of people who are currently participating in trials of unapproved covid-19 vaccines.

Nadhim Zahawi: Participants in all clinical trials are provided with contact details at the local site should they have any health and wellbeing concerns which may be related to the trial.The trial’s principle investigator advise the participant based on their knowledge of whether the participant received an active COVID-19 vaccine trial product or a placebo.

Coronavirus: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of trends in the number of people requiring covid-19 tests; and what steps he is taking to ensure sufficiency of testing capacity.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Patients: Coronavirus

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the level of inpatient hospitalisations of people reported to be infected with the covid-19 virus who had been identified as having had that virus prior to submitting themselves for admission to hospital.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England (PHE) has made no specific assessment.However, data on the number of people who are hospitalised due to COVID-19 is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/

Coronavirus: Screening

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the finding of the AffiDX antigen lateral flow covid-19 test small-scale study that that test outperformed two lateral flow antigen tests which are commercially available in Europe when detecting the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2.

Jo Churchill: We have had no such discussions.

Coronavirus: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many occasions in the last two months regional covid-19 PCR testing sites in England reached their maximum daily testing capacity.

Jo Churchill: None of the regional COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction testing sites reached their maximum daily testing capacity in the last two months.

Coronavirus: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the available covid-19 PCR testing capacity for each of the regional testing centres in England.

Jo Churchill: We hold a number of data fields including information on geographical metrics; logistical and operational data; information on contractors and sub-contractors; and site-specific information.

NHS: Software

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the average time in (a) days and (b) hours it takes for NHS Test and Trace to (i) trace and (ii) speak to contacts of individuals who report a positive covid-19 PCR test result; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: No recent estimates have been made.

Asthma: Health Services

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the roll out of asthma diagnostic hubs, set out in NICE Guidance NG80.

Jo Churchill: Community Diagnostic Hubs (CDHs), which diagnose a number of conditions, will be launched in place of asthma diagnostic hubs. Diagnostics for respiratory conditions are part of the proposed ‘core’ services to be provided by CDHs. A review of diagnostics in the NHS Long Term Plan, highlighted that patients with respiratory symptoms would benefit from this facility due to the number of diagnostic tests that they use.In 2021/22, £325 million has been allocated for diagnostic services. Discussions on how funding will be allocated are ongoing. Plans for mobilisation of CDHs from across England are currently under review. NHS England and NHS Improvement have approved the mobilisation of some early adopter sites from summer 2021 with more CDHs opening from autumn 2021.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether anyone has been appointed to take over the responsibilities that Dr Jenny Harries held, in terms of shielding and other policies to help the clinically extremely vulnerable in her previous position as deputy chief medical officer, following her appointment as chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency and head of NHS Test and Trace in April 2021.

Jo Churchill: Senior officials oversee the development and implementation of policy drawing on clinical expertise as required.

Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will publish local data on who is being infected by covid-19 by (a) age, (b) ethnicity and (c) socio-economic status.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England (PHE) publishes data on COVID-19 case data by age group at lower tier local authority level on the United Kingdom Coronavirus Dashboard which is available at the following link:https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/PHE also publishes regional and national COVID-19 case data by age group and ethnicity in the weekly flu and COVID-19 surveillance report. Data on COVID-19 case rates is available by index of multiple deprivation quintile. The surveillance report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2021-to-2022-season

Steroid Drugs: Misuse

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with stakeholders on the recognition of topical steroid withdrawal as an official condition by the NHS.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the NHS on guidance for GPs and patients on the correct use and dosage of topical steroids.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to modify the labelling of topical steroid medications to include clear warnings against over-use.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is conducting a review of topical steroid withdrawal. The review is discussing alterations to labelling, guidance and communications with health care professionals. We have consulted on these topics with healthcare experts in the field including those in the National Health Service, patient representatives and other stakeholders. We are considering updates to the product information and further communications to health care professionals and the MHRA expects to issue more information on this in the next few months.

Hospitals: Meat

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that patients at hospitals can access information as to how the meat they are served in hospital meals is slaughtered.

Edward Argar: This is a matter for local National Health Service trusts. The NHS is required to meet the requirements of the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services which require all food served to meet United Kingdom legislative standards for animal welfare or equivalent standards.The Independent Hospital Food Review, published in October 2020, made recommendations for improving hospital food for patients and an expert panel is now in place to implement these recommendations. This includes how food is best provided to patients given their medical conditions, personal or cultural preferences and religious requirements. This sub-group will include representatives from religious organisations.

Pharmacy: Medical Records

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2021 to Question 23078 on Pharmacy: medical records, whether (a) his Department and (b) NHS bodies plan to publish its assessments of the potential merits of giving pharmacy write access to medical records; and if he will make it his policy to hold a consultation on providing that access to pharmacies.

Jo Churchill: The Government’s plans for developing interoperable IT systems to provide read and write access across health and care settings were set out in ‘The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care’ published in October 2018. There is agreement across stakeholders that read and write access to patient records, where they are involved in the patient’s direct care, is necessary for pharmacists to play the increased role envisaged by the NHS Long Term Plan and the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework.NHSX is engaging with stakeholders including pharmacy contractors, IT suppliers and the public, including testing proposed digital solutions and considering issues such as patient consent and data security. However, there are no plans for a public consultation.

Cancer: Waiting Lists

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS 2021-22 priorities and operational planning guidance, published on 25 March 2021, whether the NHS is on schedule to tackle the backlog of cancer diagnosis, care and treatment by the end of March 2022.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and Improvement are committed to clearing the cancer backlog of patients waiting over 62 days from referral to first treatment by March 2022. Progress has been made, with 2.68 million urgent referrals and over 664,000 people treated for cancer between March 2020 and May 2021. In May 2021 general practitioner urgent referrals for suspected cancer were  14% higher than the May 2019 baseline. Cancer referrals have reached over 10,500 referrals per day in April and nearly 11,000 in May.

Department for Education

Pre-school Education: Coronavirus

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the evidence for excluding early years staff from the list of key workers exempt from covid-19 self-isolation rules ahead of the changes proposed for 16 August 2021.

Vicky Ford: A very limited number of named critical workers will be informed that they are considered to have a reasonable excuse to leave self-isolation to attend work if they are contacts. This scheme will only apply to workers who are fully vaccinated (defined as someone who is 14 days post-second dose) and is solely for the purpose of going to work. The education and childcare workforce are not included in this scheme.

Further Education: Finance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what catch-up funding will be made available to students in further education institutions beyond the 16 to 19 tuition fund.

Gillian Keegan: On 24 February 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a further investment of £102 million to extend the 16 to 19 tuition fund into the 2021/22 academic year. On 2 June 2021 we announced a further £222 million to extend the 16 to 19 tuition fund for an additional two years until the 2023/24 academic year.The fund will have a continued focus on targeting additional tuition at young people who need the most support. Eligibility for the 16 to 19 tuition fund in the 2021/22 academic year is being broadened to include economic disadvantage, in addition to low prior attainment. Including these students allows providers to offer tuition to all disadvantaged students who have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, while still maintaining focus on low prior attainment.To ensure that those with the least time left have the opportunity to progress, the government is also giving providers of 16 to 19 education the option to offer students in year 13, or equivalent, the opportunity to repeat up to one more year if they have been particularly severely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. While we expect most students will continue to progress to a suitable destination (such as higher education or into employment), this option will ensure that those who have been most severely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak have sufficient options to complete their education.

Pupils: Safety

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to strengthen safeguarding in schools.

Nick Gibb: Amended statutory guidance for schools in respect of safeguarding, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE), was published on 6 July 2021, alongside revised departmental advice on sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in school, and will come into force from 1 September 2021.The guidance has been strengthened and updated following the consultation on proposed changes to KCSIE and departmental advice, as well as findings from the Ofsted review into sexual abuse in schools and colleges. KCSIE now provides schools with even clearer guidance on how to deal with reports of sexual abuse, and to support teachers and other school staff to spot the signs of abuse and respond quickly, sensitively, and appropriately. The ‘Reporting Abuse in Education’ helpline has been extended until October to allow anyone to report a concern over sexual abuse in schools, make a referral, or receive advice. The Department will continue to consider what further changes are needed for KCSIE 2022, to ensure all schools and colleges have the guidance to meet their statutory duties to safeguard children, following a further consultation later this year.The Department will also be extending the pilot support and supervision programme for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) in up to 500 further schools, and 10 further local authorities. The supervision pilot will test the impact and effectiveness of providing supervision to DSLs through these trials. The programme aims to strengthen support for DSLs and will help build the evidence base on what works. The Department is also committed to sharing lessons learned and good practice from these trials. Alongside creating an online DSL hub and considering how we give greater status to DSLs, my right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, have asked the Children’s Commissioner to immediately start looking at how we reduce children’s access to pornography and other harmful content.

Mathematics: Education

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of students studying mathematics at (a) A Level and (b) degree level.

Nick Gibb: Since 2014, mathematics has been the most popular subject for students to study at A level. The Government remains committed to increasing participation in post-16 mathematics. The Department has introduced reformed A levels which provide a better foundation to study mathematics at a higher level. The Department also funds the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) which supports schools and colleges to improve the effectiveness of level 3 mathematics teaching and increase participation, including by providing tailored support to schools and colleges in areas with low levels of progression. The AMSP also provides targeted support for students preparing to study mathematics at higher education.

Schools: North West

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to increase school funding in the north-west of England.

Nick Gibb: Education funding is a priority for the Government. In the 2019 Spending Round, we committed to significant additional investment in schools of £2.6 billion in financial year 2020/21, £4.8 billion in 2021/22 and £7.1 billion in 2022/23, compared to 2019/20.The Department has recently announced schools funding for the final year of this three year settlement. In financial year 2022/23, the schools national funding formula (NFF) is increasing by 3.2 per cent overall, and by 2.8 per cent per pupil. The NFF will distribute this funding based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. Schools in the North-West will see a higher than average increase of 3.4 per cent in funding overall next year, and per pupil funding will increase by 2.8 per cent.Within the North-West, Blackpool and Oldham are also benefitting from additional funding through the Opportunity Areas programme, which is working to improve education outcomes and social mobility in 12 of the most deprived areas of England. The Department has recently been able to extend this programme for another year, through to the end of August 2022, and will be providing an additional £18 million across all 12 areas.

Educational Institutions: Putney

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any of his Ministers plan to visit (a) schools, (b) nurseries or (c) colleges in the Putney constituency in the next six months.

Nick Gibb: Currently there are no plans for any ministers to visit schools, nurseries, or colleges in the Putney constituency in the next six months.The Department is keen for providers to continue to focus on delivering education for children and young people.Due to COVID-19 restrictions, it has been difficult for the Department to plan visits too far ahead. The Department will review visiting opportunities as COVID-19 restrictions are eased further.

Supply Teachers

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many supply teachers have taken maintained schools to Employment Tribunal for breach of Agency Workers Regulations in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is not held by the Department. The Department does not have an employer-employee relationship with the school workforce and does not collect information on employment tribunal cases.The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are responsible for the Agency Worker Regulations. An individual claiming an employer is in breach of those regulations may take their employer to an employment tribunal.

Ministry of Justice

Berwyn Prison: Ambulance Services

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times the Ambulance Service was called out to deal with incidents at HMP Berwyn in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019 and (d) 2020.

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times (a) the Police and (b) other enforcement services were called out to deal with incidents at HMP Berwyn in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018, (iii) 2019 and (iv) 2020.

Alex Chalk: In line with policy at HMP Berwyn, when a medical emergency procedure is activated it is standard response for the communications room to call for an ambulance. This is in partnership with the prison’s healthcare providers – Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Welsh Ambulance Service Trust. HMPPS does not hold information about the number of times the ambulance service has been called to attend the prison as the information is held by the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust. HMP Berwyn works closely with colleagues in the police and have a dedicated police team on site to support with incidents where required. Information about the number of times the police and other enforcement services have been called to attend HMP Berwyn is held by the police.

Berwyn Prison: Staff

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff, not directly employed by the prison, were employed at HMP Berwyn by the end of each year for (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019 and (d) 2020; and whether he plans for that number to increase over the next three years.

Alex Chalk: HMPPS does not hold information about the number of non-directly employed staff who work at HMP Berwyn. This information is held by the individual service providers or supplier and each would have their own plans for potential future recruitment.

Prisons: Construction

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many pre-constructed concrete sections per week have been delivered to the (a) Five Wells and (b) Glen Parva sites from the commencement of construction to date; and over what time period those deliveries took place.

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number directly employed permanent jobs that will be created at each of the new Five Wells and Glen Parva prisons; and how many of those jobs have been filled to date.

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of indirectly employed jobs that will be created at each of the new Five Wells and Glen Parva prisons; and whether any of those positions have been filled to date.

Alex Chalk: The total number of pre-constructed concrete sections delivered to Glen Parva to 21 July 2021 is 5,951. Delivery has been variable between the first delivery which took place on 26 January 2021 and the latest update. This averages out at 234 panels per week. The deliveries to the site are still ongoing.HMP Five Wells has incorporated 15,183 pre-constructed concrete panels during the installation period between September 2019 to September 2020, averaging out at 290 panels a week. The reason for the variance between the number of panels delivered to each site is due to the difference in delivery stage between the projects. HMP Five Wells has fully completed its pre-cast concrete installation at the point of reporting whereas Glen Parva is still ramping up installation process as of 29 April 2021.We estimate that there will be around 600-700 permanent jobs created at both HMP Five Wells & Glen Parva once they are open. We will not have a final number of jobs created until these prions are open. An operator has not yet been appointed for Glen Parva and the Department does not currently collect granular workforce data from private prison providers, which includes HMP Five Wells. To publish this data or require the provider to do so would require significant changes to the contracts of all private prison providers and we currently have no plans to do this.We have interpreted ‘indirectly employed jobs’ as those not employed by the prison operators but indirectly via contractors or part of the supply chain for prison operation. We do not hold this information.

Grendon Prison and Spring Hill Prison: Travel

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the average daily distance travelled by prison officers and staff working at HMP Springhill and HMP Grendon from their home to place of work.

Alex Chalk: The information requested is not held and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: South East

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Onley, published on 20 July 2021, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of capacity in Category D prisons in London and the South-East; and what assessment he has made of the effect on the (a) rehabilitation and (b) resettlement of prisoners in custody a large distance away from their families.

Alex Chalk: In recent months we have taken a number of units out of use that no longer meet current fire safety standards. This has inevitably had an impact on the availability of category D (open) places in London and the South-East. In the short term, these reductions in places are being offset by installation of good-quality temporary units at a number of critical sites, while we plan for their replacement on a permanent basis.We have committed more than £4 billion to make significant progress in delivering 18,000 additional prison places across England and Wales by the mid-2020s, and expansion of the category D estate is included in this. We are currently assessing which sites may be suitable for expansion.Open prisons are classified as a national resource, meaning that some prisoners are held in open conditions outside of their immediate home region. However, open prisons have a successful track record of supporting prisoners realise their release plans despite the geographical distance from home that can affect some prisoners. All open prisons have established links with local employers to provide access to job opportunities while in custody through Release on Temporary Licence. Through collaboration with New Futures Network, there is also a national network of organisations that facilitate employment in custody and after release. In all cases, open prisons work to ensure that, where possible, the job can be retained on release. Alternatively, they may be released with transferrable skills that are to a recognised industry standard that would enable them to be employed in their home area.We recognise that closeness to home is important for maintaining family ties, however given restraints in existing geography and infrastructure, we are not always able to hold prisoners close to home while having access to the right services or opportunities. The Model for Operational Delivery for Resettlement prisons covers resettlement for both Category C and Category D prisoners to ensure there is equality in service delivery regardless of where they are located within the estate. Onley is a training and resettlement prison and like other closed prisons is able to provide prisoners with a range of opportunities for rehabilitation and resettlement while they are waiting for an open prison place to become available.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Israel: Palestinians

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2021 to Question 22012 on Israel: Palestinians, whether the Constituencies for Peace and Support for Israeli NGOs peacebuilding projects conduct cross-border work between Israelis and Palestinians.

James Cleverly: UK peacebuilding project work contains cross-border elements. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and Consulate-General in Jerusalem work closely with all sectors of society, including ultra-Orthodox communities, the National Religious, Israeli Arabs and Palestinian communities affected by the conflict, to encourage support for and progress towards peace.

Libya: Travel Information

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the travel advice (a) for Libya and (b) for certain regions in Libya.

James Cleverly: All FCDO travel advice pages remain under constant review to ensure they reflect the latest threat assessment to British nationals and include up-to-date information and advice.

International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2021 to Question 22172 on Israel: Palestinians, under what circumstances the UK will collaborate with the United States on the international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

James Cleverly: The UK government shares the objective of increasing understanding and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. UK officials remain in close contact with the US Government regarding the International Fund. The US is at a very early planning stage, and once more information is available, we will consider options for collaboration.

Developing Countries: Women's Rights

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to consult and get input from women’s rights organisations and experts in developing the Government’s new International Development Strategy.

Nigel Adams: We look forward to engaging with a diverse range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, on the International Development Strategy over the coming months. Women's rights organisations are critical to achieving lasting transformation in women's and girls' rights, and the Integrated Review specifically commits FCDO to work closely with them to tackle the violence and discrimination that hold women back.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will undertake and publish an assessment of the human rights impact of the £6.3 million the Government has spent on supporting security reform in Sri Lanka.

Nigel Adams: The UK government's aim for security sector reform in Sri Lanka is to encourage the development of a modern, accountable and human rights compliant military, and support the development of a police service that is gender sensitive and respects human rights. Promoting adherence to international humanitarian law and human rights compliance is integral to our engagement.All UK assistance, including training and defence engagement, is subject to robust Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) assessments that analyse the potential human rights, international humanitarian law, political and reputational risks of any proposed assistance to ensure that it supports our values and is consistent with our domestic and international human rights obligations. Annual review summaries of our Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programmes can be found online at: https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/projects/GB-GOV-3-CSSF-09-000003/documents

Sri Lanka: Sanctions

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to apply sanctions against (a) General Shavendra Silva and (b) other officials in Sri Lanka accused of committing human rights abuses in that country.

Nigel Adams: Sanctions are one response among a number of diplomatic tools we can deploy around the world as part of a broader political strategy in order to change or send a political signal regarding particular behaviours. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. However, it is not appropriate to speculate on who may be designated in the future, as to do so could reduce their impact.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the COP Presidency paper entitled Priorities for Public Climate Finance in the Year Ahead, published January 2021, whether his Department is planning to changing climate funding mechanisms to encourage adaptation and resilience programmes that remove barriers to family planning and girls’ education.

James Duddridge: Coping with climate change is a challenge that faces us all. The poor in developing countries are likely to be hit first and hardest. Our International Climate Finance (ICF) reaches those most in need and we are committed to doubling our ICF to £11.6bn over the next five years. In our adaptation programming we prioritise locally-led action with a strong grounding in the local context and needs, targeting marginalised groups.We do not need to change climate funding mechanisms to ensure that, through quality education, more girls are empowered and equipped as agents of change. Voluntary family planning programmes empower women and girls to choose whether and when to have children - this in turn supports the health, prosperity and resilience of their communities and countries.

Turkey: Radicalism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the 2016 coup d'etat attempt on the level of Turkish support for (a) the Muslim Brotherhood and (b) other extremist Islamist groups.

Wendy Morton: We are aware that the Turkish government regards the Muslim Brotherhood as a political movement, not a terrorist organisation; and that Muslim Brotherhood figures have lived in Turkey, and associated media outlets have operated there, for many years. We continue to take concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood seriously. Turkey takes the fight against all forms of terrorism, including Daesh and ISIS, extremely seriously and we work in close cooperation on those issues bilaterally and in international fora such as the Counter Daesh coalition.

Ministry of Defence

National Flagship: Procurement

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the proposed Royal Yacht will be classified as a warship and its construction restricted to UK shipyards.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HMS Queen Elizabeth: Coronavirus

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) when and (b) by whom was the decision made to allow the crew of HMS Queen Elizabeth off-ship during port visits during the covid-19 outbreak.

James Heappey: Port visits are planned in advance as part of each deployment and while they remain subject to change depending on operational and other requirements, they are important for logistics resupply and the welfare of the crew. For the Carrier Strike Group 2021 deployment the Commanding Officer of each ship, in consultation with the Commander of the Strike Group, and PJHQ where required, carefully consider the Covid-19 situation at each destination and take into account HMG travel advice published on the gov.uk website and local guidance before allowing the crew off the ship during port visits.

National Flagship: Iron and Steel

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 16 June to Question 10178 on Royal Yacht: Procurement, whether the procurement framework for the new national flagship will provide for its construction using British steel.

Mr Ben Wallace: Procurement of the National Flagship will be conducted strictly in accordance with Government procurement policy, including that on the procurement of steel as set out in Procurement Policy Note 11/16. Responsibility for sourcing steel for Government procured vessels rests with prime contractors and, in line with Procurement Policy Note 11/16, it will be for the prime contractor to make its steel requirements known to the UK steel industry in order that they may consider bidding.The joint industry and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Steel Procurement Taskforce was launched in March 2021, with the aim of working with the sector to promote the unique selling points of UK steel and explore how best to support and position the industry for success in forthcoming major public contracts.

National Flagship: Procurement

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the high level technical specification document for the UK’s national flagship that is available on request to potential suppliers participating in the market engagement exercise launched by his Department on 2 July 2021.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the Level 1 procurement plan for the UK’s national flagship that is available on request to potential suppliers participating in the market engagement exercise launched by his Department on 2 July 2021.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the pre-qualification questionnaire that will be used to assess which potential suppliers will progress to the invitation to negotiate phase of procurement for the UK’s national flagship.

Mr Ben Wallace: Consideration will be given to publication of the high-level technical specification, Level 1 procurement plan and pre-qualification questionnaire after they have been made available to participants in the planned period of market engagement.

Kurds: Military Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance his Department has provided to the Kurdish people to help tackle terrorist groups affecting those people.

James Heappey: The UK continues to support the Kurdish people at multiple levels to combat the Daesh threat in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq, the Kurdish Peshmerga have played a leading role in the Global Coalition's successful campaign against Daesh. As a key partner, the UK has trained more than 9,100 Peshmerga fighters and supplied them with technical and military support to enhance their capacity and capability to tackle the threat from Daesh. Furthermore, the UK has gifted over 2,000 tonnes of lethal and non-lethal aid to Kurdish and Iraqi security forces (ammunition, body armour, first aid equipment etc) to support them in their fight against Daesh. Whilst in Syria, the UK has consistently provided tactical support and funding through the Global Coalition to assist the Syrian Democratic Forces in their efforts to prevent the resurgence of Daesh in the region.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Sheep Scab: Disease Control

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures the Government is taking to work with key stakeholders to manage the spread of sheep scab, or psoroptic mange, in England.

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,  what measures the Government is taking to work with devolved nations to tackle the spread of sheep scab across the regions.

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support the Government is providing to farmers who are struggling to manage the outbreak of sheep scab, or psoroptic mange, on their farms.

Victoria Prentis: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Endemic diseases like sheep scab affect animal health and welfare, as well as productivity. As set out in the 25 year Environment Plan and the Agricultural Transition Plan: June 2021 progress update, we are working with industry to reduce the impact of endemic diseases, including through the launch in 2022 of an Annual Health and Welfare Review for eligible livestock farmers. Sheep Scab initiatives are currently managed at a local level but we are working with Devolved Administrations to plan how we tackle the condition across regions. A group of experts have recently been successful in a bid for funding from Defra via the Rural Development Programme for England to lead a two-year community-led project to improve the control of sheep scab in three hot spot areas where scab currently presents a significant problem: the North West, the Midlands and the South West. Farmers participating in this initiative will receive a unique combination of on-farm advice, best practice training, and free blood testing. Farmers seeking further advice on sheep scab can contact the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Tuna: Fishing Catches

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish his proposals for a catch and release pilot for blue fin tuna.

Victoria Prentis: A catch, tag and release (CHART) programme to conduct scientific research into Atlantic Bluefin Tuna abundance in English waters will run from 16 August until 14 November 2021. Details of the programme were published on the website of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) on 23 April 2021: CHART Programme for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna - CEFAS.

Animal Welfare

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure animal welfare legislation is enforced in response to the reduction in the RSPCA's animal welfare inspectorate.

Victoria Prentis: Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act), local authorities, the Animal & Plant Health Agency and the police all have powers to investigate allegations of animal cruelty or poor welfare (including power of entry to inspect premises). Under the 2006 Act, anyone is able to take forward a prosecution, and it is on this basis that the RSPCA has been enforcing animal welfare legislation in this country. The RSPCA currently successfully prosecutes 800 to 1,000 people each year. The Government recognises the valuable work the RSPCA does to improve the welfare of animals. Defra remains committed to continuing its engagement with the RSPCA, and other organisations involved in enforcement activities, so that our high animal welfare standards are maintained and offenders are subject to appropriate penalties.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing an independent body to oversee horse welfare in the UK.

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of launching a review of horse welfare standards in the UK.

Victoria Prentis: The Government shares the public's high regard for animal welfare, and we are committed to enhancing our status as a world leader in the protection of animals. The Action Plan for Animal Welfare is an ambitious plan which sets out an overview of the Government's main priorities on animal welfare and conservation. In the action plan, we have committed to ensuring that the equine sector addresses key welfare issues such as racehorse fatality levels.Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) it is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal. Anyone who is cruel to an animal faces being sent to prison for up to 5 years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both. The 2006 Act is backed up by the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids which provides owners with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their equines. The Code makes clear that owners are responsible for meeting the horse's need for safe and suitable shelter and pasture, whether this is through a livery yard, rented land or land that they own. The Code can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/700200/horses-welfare-codes-of-practice-april2018.pdfThe Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 were developed to help improve welfare standards across a range of activities involving animals that are licensed by local authorities. Under these regulations, hiring out horses in the course of a business for riding or instruction in riding and selling animals as pets in the course of a business are both licensable activities. This includes riding schools, trekking, loan horses, pony parties, hunter hirelings, polo/polocrosse instruction, pony hire, pony and donkey rides.The Animal Welfare Committee is an expert committee that advises the Department on the welfare of animals. This includes farmed, companion and wild animals kept by people. Please see further details here:https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/animal-welfare-committee-awcDefra considers that current legislation and guidance provides the right safeguards and powers in respect of protecting horse welfare. We will continue to engage with key stakeholders to see if more can be done to spread best practice among horse owners, as well as increased partnership working with the equine welfare sector in order to tackle equine welfare issues.

Horses: Animal Breeding

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department are taking to ensure a reduction in the number of foals being produced in the UK every year .

Victoria Prentis: The Government shares the public's high regard for animal welfare, and we are committed to making the UK a world leader in the protection of animals, including horses.To promote responsible ownership, there is clear guidance available to educate and remind horse owners of their responsibilities to provide for the welfare needs of their animal. The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids makes clear that you should consider buying or rehoming a youngster before taking the decision to breed. The foal’s individual future must also be considered before breeding from your equine, and the code highlights the UK’s overpopulation problem at the time of publication. The Code can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/700200/horses-welfare-codes-of-practice-april2018.pdfFurther information on responsible breeding is available to the public, including World Horse Welfare’s “Need to Breed” initiative which can be found here: https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/advice/management/do-you-need-to-breed.We continue to have close engagement with key stakeholders in the equine sector and are monitoring the situation regarding the supply of foals.

Musical Instruments: Customs

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the (a) application for Musical Instrument Certificates (MICs) for musicians travelling to the UK from the EU with instruments that have CITES requirements must be made in the country of export and (b) UK recognises the same (i) MICs and (ii) CITES requirements necessary for EU member states.

Victoria Prentis: A Musical Instrument Certificate (MIC) is ordinarily issued by the country of residence to facilitate multiple cross border movements of instruments covered by CITES controls.Following our departure from the EU, by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, the UK retained the CITES legislation and procedures followed whilst we were members of the EU. The UK will continue to accept MICs issued by EU Member States.

Animal Welfare: Voluntary Organisations

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that animal rescue centres are properly licensed.

Victoria Prentis: The Government continues to take positive action to protect and improve the welfare of animals. The recently published Action Plan for Animal Welfare demonstrates our commitment to a brighter future for animals both at home and abroad. Our reform programme includes pursuing the licensing of animal sanctuaries and rescue and rehoming centres including for cats, dogs and horses. Defra has been engaging with rescue and rehoming organisations to understand their views and the possible impacts of regulating the sector. Any proposals to bring forward licensing regulations will be subject to a consultation.

Climate Change and Ecology

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has declared a climate and ecological emergency.

Rebecca Pow: The UK has adopted some of the most ambitious climate change and environment policies and commitments in the world.Our Nationally Determined Contribution to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 is the most ambitious in the world. We became the first major economy to set a net zero target in law in 2019. We have doubled our International Climate Finance, and are investing nearly a third of it in nature-based solutions to climate change. We are leading coalitions of ambitious countries to protect at least 30% of the world’s land and water by 2030, to redirect land use subsidies globally to support sustainability and renewal, and to breaking the link between commodity production and illegal deforestation.Among numerous world-first interventions, the Environment Bill is being amended to create a duty to set a historic target on species abundance for 2030, aiming to halt the decline in nature.

Tree Planting: North of England

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has made progress on tree planting targets for (a) the Northern Forest (b) the White Rose Forest and (c) in York.

Rebecca Pow: We continue to work with the Woodland Trust and the Community Forest Trust to support the planting of more than 50 million trees between Liverpool and Hull as part of the Northern Forest initiative. The 50 million target is not a Government target but will contribute to the Government’s commitment to increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this parliament. As set out in our new England Trees Action Plan, we are working with charities, landowners, and local communities to increase tree planting across England. This includes partnerships such as the Northern Forest, which we kick-started with £5.7 million of investment in 2018, and the Community Forests Network, with whom we aim to plant over 6000 hectares of new woodlands by 2025, supported by investment from our £640 million Nature for Climate Fund. The Northern Forest stretches from Liverpool and Chester to Hull, through Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield. Four of the twelve Community Forests are located in the Northern Forest – White Rose Forest, which covers Leeds city region and North and West Yorkshire; the Mersey Forest, which covers Merseyside and North Cheshire; Heywood, which covers Kingston upon Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire; and City of Trees, which covers Greater Manchester. Our Nature for Climate Fund-supported programme of tree planting by the Community Forests, including the White Rose Forest, received £12.1 million funding last year and will see many more trees planted across these areas over this parliament. The table below shows the number of trees planted between 2018-2021 with Government funding. Other non-Government funded trees are also being delivered across the Northern Forest by the Northern Forest Partnership. Planting Season (Data on trees planted across these areas may overlap.)YorkThe White Rose ForestThe Northern Forest2018-201907,453103,9802019-2020021,069200,2352020-2021675365,935860,167TOTAL675394,4571,164,382 In addition to this, we have extended the Urban Tree Challenge Fund, providing up to £6 million over the next two years to support planting of large trees in our towns and cities. We have also launched the £2.7 million Local Authority Treescapes Fund which encourages applications establishing more trees in non-woodland settings such as parklands, urban areas, beside roads and footpaths.

Animal Products: Imports

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings he has had with representatives of organisations (a) in favour of and (b) opposed to the Government's proposed ban on trophy hunting in the last 24 months.

Rebecca Pow: The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies from endangered animals, and Ministers and officials have engaged with a range of stakeholders throughout policy development on this issue. This, together with the outcomes of the recent consultation and call for evidence, will inform our next steps. Our approach on hunting trophies will be comprehensive, robust and effective and will deliver the change we promised to help protect thousands of species worldwide. We will set out our plans soon.

Marine Protected Areas

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on (a) the Government's proposals for Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) and (b) proposed locations for HPMAs.

Rebecca Pow: On 8 June 2021, the Government published its response to the Benyon Review into Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs). The Government accepted the central recommendation to take forward pilot sites with the purpose of biodiversity recovery.The response to the Benyon Review was agreed across Government. Defra officials met with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) during the Benyon Review and when preparing the Government response. The response states that HPMAs will be outside of routine defence exercise areas, and the selection of sites will consider the ability of an activity or sector to adapt to the location of a HPMA.The Government is developing ecological, social and economic criteria for HPMA identification to create a list of potential sites this year, followed by a consultation and designation of sites in 2022. Defra will engage the MoD and other Government departments on the potential list of sites when it becomes available.

Air Pollution

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a 24 hour (a) mean or (b) exceedance level for fine particulate matter 2.5.

Rebecca Pow: The Government recognises that short-term exposure to elevated levels of PM2.5 can impact health, particularly for vulnerable groups. This is why we provide alerts and advice during air pollution episodes to ensure people can access the information and health advice they need in order to minimise impacts. We are also taking action to increase public awareness about air pollution, including through an expanded £8 million funding pot which will be made available to local authorities through the Air Quality Grant scheme. Under the Environment Bill, the Government will have a duty to bring forward a target for PM2.5 by October 2022. In setting our air quality targets, we have sought advice from the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) on whether the priority aim should be long-term exposure rather than short-term. COMEAP advised that a focus on long-term average concentrations of PM2.5 is most appropriate to deliver public health benefits. This advice has been published and can be accessed via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fine-particulate-air-pollution-pm25-setting-targets. The two air quality targets that we plan to set will focus on reducing the long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its associated health impacts, actions taken to achieve these targets will contribute to reducing average daily concentrations of PM2.5.

Flood Control: Urban Areas

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of flood defences in inner cities.

Rebecca Pow: The Government’s new six-year flood defence programme will invest £5.2 billion in flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes between now and 2027, and will better protect 336,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion. This will benefit urban areas as well as coastal and rural communities. Climate change projections are built into the design of new flood defences to make sure they are fit for the future and offer the appropriate level of protection to communities. Surface water is one of the sources of flooding in urban areas and the Government is taking action to tackle this risk which is increasing due to climate change and population growth. The Government published a surface water management action plan in 2018 with 22 actions and we will soon publish an update on this work. We have already changed our flood defence partnership funding rules to enable more surface water schemes and launched a £200 million innovation fund which includes actions to support surface water flood risk actions. We are putting water company Drainage and Wastewater Plans on a statutory footing through the Environment Bill, to ensure drainage and sewerage systems are resilient to withstand the current and future pressures on them. Lead Local Flood Authorities (county and unitary authorities) have the leadership role on surface water flood risk management.

Home Office

Criminal Records

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent future losses of crime records.

Kit Malthouse: Following the deletion of a number of No Further Action Cases the Home Secretary and I commissioned an independent review, led by an external panel chaired by Lord Hogan-Howe, to investigate how this happened and to ensure the necessary lessons are learned to avoid similar incidents in the future. The review sets out a wide range of recommendations for both the Home Office as well as the Police to address the underlying factors that led to this unacceptable incident. Both the Home Office and the Police have accepted all the recommendations in full and work is already underway to take the necessary steps to respond to them. A summary of the review was published in the House on 24 May.

Police: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional support she will provide to the police in managing crowded areas in summer 2021 in response to the increased covid-19 infection rate.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office has been working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure forces have sufficient resourcing and guidance to operate safely. This includes managing crowded areas, such as during protests and other events. The NPCC also issued guidance to forces on the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to ensure that officers carrying out critical services are not put at risk. We will continue to work extremely closely with police, alongside the NPCC, to ensure forces receive the equipment and guidance they need, when they need it, in order to carry out their jobs safely.

Drugs: Organised Crime

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent (a) new county lines from starting up and (b) previous lines being resurrected by new prison leavers.

Kit Malthouse: Since 2019 we have invested over £65m to tackle county lines and drug supply. Through our county lines programme we have surged our activity against these ruthless gangs. This has already resulted in more than 1,100 lines closed, over 6,300 arrests, and more than 1,900 vulnerable adults and children safeguarded. The police have a range of orders available to respond to county lines activity, including Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restrictions Orders (DDTROs). Through our County Lines programme the National County Lines Coordination Centre has established a dedicated orders team to promote and maximise the use of civil orders to tackle county lines, with a particular focus on DDTROs. We are also working collaboratively with HMPPS to ensure there is a co-ordinated and robust response to disrupt county lines, as well as safeguarding vulnerable individuals from being involved in this offending.

Ben Needham

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will provide finances for a reward for information on the case of British national Ben Needham who disappeared from the Greek Island of Kos on the 24th July 1991.

Kit Malthouse: As this is an ongoing investigation, the decision to offer a reward for information, and other tactics deployed to further the work needed to bring a resolution to the case, is an independent operational matter for South Yorkshire Police.

Visas: Pre-school Education

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason early years workers including nursery staff were not included in the shortage occupation list for the Skilled Worker visa; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of that decision on the early years and childcare sector.

Kevin Foster: The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) reviewed the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) in September 2020 and did not recommend adding early years workers to the UK SOL. A copy of the report can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-shortage-occupation-list-2020The MAC found there was a low vacancy rate for primary and nursery teachers and a lack of evidence of shortage, although Gaelic medium teachers remain on the Scotland-only SOL.An occupation does not need to be on the SOL to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker visa. Upon advice from the MAC, the Government broadened the eligibility of the route, enabling more roles to qualify in early years education and other sectors.

British Nationality: Ilois

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Chaggosians with family in the UK will be eligible for UK citizenship under the new discretionary adult registration route.

Kevin Foster: This proposed adult registration clause in the Nationality and Borders Bill would allow the Home Secretary discretion to grant citizenship in circumstances where a person could have become British but for historical legislative unfairness, an act or omission by a public authority, or exceptional circumstances of the particular individual.This is one of a number of measures which need to be approved by Parliament, and so we cannot be specific at this time how the discretion will be used.

Violence Reduction Unit

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support the work of the London Violence Reduction Unit's work during Summer 2021.

Victoria Atkins: Over three years, the London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has been allocated £21 million from the Home Office’s Serious Violence Fund (SVF) to bring together key partners across health, education, policing, the criminal justice system, amongst others to identify the drivers of serious violence in London and deliver a tailored response to tackle them.The VRU have utilised this funding to deliver a wide range of interventions which supported over 2750 young people in 2020/21. This includes innovative projects like the DIVERT programme, which engages with young people in custody immediately following a serious violence incident at a ‘teachable moment’ when they are expected to be most likely to change their behaviour.This £21 million investment includes a £7 million allocation for London in the 2021/22 financial year. We have worked closely with the VRU on the development of their proposals for the year ahead, collaborating to ensure that effective interventions, structures, and partners are in place to respond to the root causes of violence across London’s 32 boroughs. These proposals have since been agreed and activity is being delivered throughout the summer months.Future funding decisions are subject to the ongoing Spending Review, and we will engage with HM Treasury on proposals in due course as part of the departmental settlement. Whilst we cannot pre-empt the potential outcome of that process, we do recognise the need for VRUs to function as long-term, sustainable organisations and are working hard to achieve this.

Refugees: Climate Change

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) assessment she made of the potential effect of climate change on the displacement of people and (b) steps her Department is taking to prepare for future increases in refugees seeking safety in the UK in light of that issue.

Chris Philp: Climate change is not recognised under the 1951 Refugee Convention and, therefore, cannot be used as a justification for requesting or granting international protection.Evidence shows that climate extremes and environmental degradation are often amplifiers of other principal migration drivers (economic, social and political), but decisions to migrate are rarely mono-causal. As climate change increases its impact on migration it is imperative that efforts are redoubled to limit warming and to help vulnerable people to adapt to change. Climate change is a reality that requires greater and more coordinated adaptation and mitigation planning.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Monuments: World War II

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a civilian memorial to the people who lived under Nazi occupation in Jersey and the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

Luke Hall: There are a number of memorial plaques to the people who suffered under Nazi occupation in the Channel Islands. For example, Jersey erected a memorial in the late 1940s to occupied civilians, and erected liberation memorials to them in 1985 and 1995, 2000 and 2016. Guernsey has erected liberation memorials in memory of its occupied citizens in 1985, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020.

Cabinet Office

Coronavirus: Death

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of deaths with covid-19 noted as a cause since 1 July 2021 have been in people with underlying health conditions.

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what percentage of deaths with covid-19 noted as a cause since 1st July 2021 have been in those who have not received a dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of people who have died since 1 July 2021 with covid-19 listed as a cause of death on their death certificate have also had other causes of death listed.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.UKSA response PQ36691-2 (pdf, 66.6KB)

Douglas Smith

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what role Douglas Smith holds in his office.

Chloe Smith: An updated list of Government special advisers was published on GOV.UK on 15 July.As has been the case under successive administrations, staff employed in the No.10 Political Office are a matter for the governing party.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Eswatini

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her international trade policies of recent reports of human rights abuses including the use of (a) live ammunition, (b) tear gas and (c) water cannon against pro-democracy protestors in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of recent reports of human rights abuses in the Kingdom of Eswatini with that country's commitments under Annex VII, Part 1, Article 3 of the UK-SACUM Economic Partnership Agreement.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she plans to take under the terms of Annex VII, Part 1, Article 3 of the UK-SACUM Economic Partnership Agreement in response to recent reports of human rights abuses in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: The United Kingdom is concerned by the recent events in Eswatini. When considering the essential and fundamental provisions in an Economic Partnership Agreement, we consider the economic and developmental impact to that partner and its people. We raise the need to uphold rights and responsibilities with governments around the world, and we want to continue encouraging trade too – helping those most in need by providing valuable employment and lifting them out of poverty – as more trade, more jobs and more prosperity need not come at the expense of British values.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Tourism: Coronavirus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the (a) inbound tourism and (B) the tourism economy in the UK.

Nigel Huddleston: COVID-19 has had a significant impact on inbound tourism and the wider tourism industry. From last March, inbound flight arrivals were down 90% for over a year compared to 2019 levels, hotel occupancy far lower than normal, and the sector was closed for at least six of the last 12 months - more so in some parts of the country subject to local lockdowns last autumn. We also know that tourism has been the sector most reliant on the government’s unprecedented package of support measures. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was crucial in saving tourism jobs, which at its peak supported 87% of hospitality and leisure businesses. In total, at least £25 billion has been provided to the leisure, tourism and hospitality sector so far over the course of the pandemic. In June, we published the Tourism Recovery Plan to help the sector recover back to pre-pandemic levels and build back better for the future. The plan aims to recover domestic tourism to pre pandemic levels by 2022 and international tourism by 2023; both at least a year faster than independent forecasts predict.

Tourism: Coronavirus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the inbound tourism industry as part of the UK's economic recovery from the covid-19 outbreak.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is taking a number of steps to support inbound tourism’s recovery from the pandemic. In total, at least £25 billion has been provided to the leisure, tourism and hospitality sector so far over the course of the pandemic - saving jobs and businesses across the UK. The Tourism Recovery plan sets out the Government’s aim to recover domestic overnight trip volume and spend to 2019 levels by the end of 2022, and inbound visitor numbers and spend by the end of 2023 – both at least a year faster than independent forecasts predict. We will work with VisitBritain to welcome back international visitors as soon as it is safe to do so. We are regularly engaging with travel industry bodies - such as UKInbound and the European Tour Operators Association - to monitor the pandemic’s impact and to further support the sector’s recovery.

Gambling

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Gambling Commission has made of the accuracy of the estimated number of problem gamblers.

Mr John Whittingdale: As part of the Gambling Commission's duty under the Gambling Act 2005 to advise the government on gambling in Great Britain and provide an effective regulatory function, they collect gambling participation and problem gambling prevalence data via surveys of adults in Great Britain, principally the Health Surveys and quarterly telephone surveys. The data are published as official statistics and they are produced in accordance with the standards set out by the Government Statistical Service in the Code of Practice for Statistics. The Health Surveys use a face to face methodology; and historically this methodology has provided the best means of delivering a random probability sample, which means every household listed on the Postcode Address File (a list of every point in the UK to which mail is delivered to) is given an equal chance of being selected to take part in the survey. Random probability sampling is generally regarded as the best method to achieve accurate population estimates. The Health Surveys include the PGSI and the DSM-IV screens for problem gambling, and a combined score from both presents an accurate picture of problem gambling. However, some challenges exist with the Health Surveys such as its relative infrequency so the Commission supplement the data with a quarterly telephone survey. The quarterly telephone survey is currently the Gambling Commissions’ main measure of gambling participation (in the last four weeks) and is intended to supplement the high quality but less frequent prevalence measurement through the Health Surveys.. Telephone interviewing is a widespread method of running a nationally representative survey of a cross-section of the population. The short form PGSI screen is used within the telephone survey to measure problem gambling and the prevalence data compares reasonably closely to the Health Survey figures. However, there are a number of criticisms of telephone surveys, not least that it relies on respondents having telephone access (landline or mobile). Having recognised some of the challenges above and as part of the Gambling Commissions’ ambition to improve the quality and robustness of their statistics, they have recently consulted on proposals to change the research methodology used to collect gambling participation and problem gambling statistics. The consultation responses indicated a high level of agreement with the proposals, and the Gambling Commission are in the process of commissioning a pilot to test a new approach. Their full response to the consultation is available here https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/print/participation-and-prevalence-research

Social Media: Gambling

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to restrict social media sites promoting the use of online gambling.

Mr John Whittingdale: All gambling advertising, wherever it appears, is subject to strict controls on content and placement. Gambling operators and their affiliates must abide by the advertising codes issued by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP). Following work with the Gambling Commission, the industry has committed to make better use of advertising technology to target adverts away from children online and on social media. The sixth edition of the Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible advertising, which came into force this month, requires operators to ensure advertising is targeted only at those over 25 years old on social media and to age-gate operator YouTube channels and content. The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 with the publication of a Call for Evidence which closed on 31 March. As part of the wide scope of this review we called for evidence on the potential benefits or harms of allowing licensed gambling operators to advertise, including via social media and affiliate marketing. The Call for Evidence received approximately 16,000 submissions from a broad range of interested organisations and individuals. We are considering the evidence carefully and intend to publish a White Paper outlining conclusions and next steps by the end of the year. Following a call for evidence last year, the government has also been considering how online advertising is regulated through its Online Advertising Programme. We will be consulting on this issue later this year.

Gambling: Reviews

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make a statement on the progress of the gambling review.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Review of the Gambling Act 2005 was launched on 8 December with a wide-ranging Call for Evidence, which closed on 31 March. We received c.16,000 submissions to the Call for Evidence from a range of stakeholders and members of the public. We are considering all submissions carefully and aim to publish a white paper outlining any conclusions and proposals for reform by the end of the year.

Women and Equalities

Minister for Women and Equalities: Energy

Ruth Jones: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of her Department's energy usage in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Kemi Badenoch: The Equality Hub is part of the Cabinet Office, therefore I refer the hon. Member to the answer to PQ 25146.